Head of Fundraising / Fundraising Director

Head of Fundraising / Fundraising Director, Level Water About you Your natural mode is entrepreneurial: hustle and drive. If you are a traditional charity fundraiser, this one’s probably not for you. In the past three years we’ve bought a private events business, turned down another, scaled two event series, failed at two others, and doubled our unrestricted income. We would like to hear from you if you want to come on that kind of ride in the next three years. If you will treat this like your own business. If you will work independently, spot opportunities, chase and convert them. If you can figure out how to double fundraising from our current supporters, optimise journeys, build genuine personal relationships, and deepen product depth across the fundraising mix. If you prefer the phone to email, yet still want to spend your days in Excel analysing split-tests to optimise button text. Your natural mode is entrepreneurial: hustle and drive. Perhaps you even like outdoor swimming :) About us We are a Founder-led charity that is working to solve learn-to-swim for disabled children. In our fundraising, we deliver the “London Marathon of swimming” and the “Glastonbury of swimming”. We have a clear vision to solve disability learn-to-swim in the next ten years. To do that, we need to grow our fundraising and our programmes substantially. We have a great plan and have increased our impact 5-fold in the past three years. On fundraising, we have worked our way into a fairly unique position, where we have bought and built an event series which attracts 5,000 swimmers, 3,000 fundraisers and raises over £1m unrestricted income. We see scope to continue this growth, deepen relationships, increase fundraising per ticket, deepen relationships and convert swimmers to other products beyond their summer swim. Level Water owns and operates one of the UK’s most famous and iconic series of outdoor swims, including the Dart10k and Bantham Swoosh. We also have a growing series of 24-hour relay swims (in lakes and lidos). We all cover a lot of ground at work, with multiple projects, tests, ideas and flexibility bouncing around. The environment is fast-paced, fun, stretching, lively, intellectual, challenging, innovative and passionate. Please consider whether you are the type of person who really thrives in that type of environment, and can naturally flick between strategic oversight and in-the-trenches “doing”. The role You must be driven! We’re all that way, and you won’t enjoy it here unless you are off-the-charts ambitious. We cover a lot of ground and are learning constantly. To continue our growth we are looking for an innovative, creative and ambitious Head of Fundraising. The first job is Support Journey care for our 3,000 fundraisers. We have a solid email journey, do multiple segmented splits and have a prizing fund of c. £40,000. The starting point is overseeing the delivery of that journey. We also hope you can improve that journey and plan for deeper relationships; picking up the phone, deliver in-person events or give more value to our fundraisers. We’re also looking for someone who knows which way to go and which way to grow, is happy to test and fail, and can double down on winners. Someone who can diversify our income, build new six-figure revenue streams, and lead us into new territory. The obvious starting point for this is the end of our current supporter journey; we have 3,000 engaged people and potential jumping-off points for matched funding, corporate sponsorship, repeat fundraising, and regular giving. We still see Challenge Events as the heart of our growth, and so testing, designing and scaling these is central to the role. This may include virtual, in-person, and blended events, working with our swimming pool network, lakes, rivers and partners nationwide. This role requires a strategic thinker with a proven track record in fundraising growth, and a passion for our cause. Core Responsibilities Strategy Development and Implementation Develop and execute a fundraising strategy aligned with the charity's objectives. Identify and cultivate new fundraising opportunities to diversify income streams. Defining our fundraising growth strategies, specifically around our event series. Community and Events Fundraising Oversee the planning and execution of community fundraising initiatives, specifically with our event fundraisers. Engage and mobilise volunteers and supporters for fundraising activities. Fundraiser Care Customer Lifetime value / retention / regular giving. Build and maintain relationships with donors, ensuring effective stewardship. Develop and implement donor retention strategies to increase long-term support and regular giving. Trusts and Foundations Working closely with our Head of Programmes to oversee our bids process, working with specialists and utilising learnings from previous years. Deepen strong relationships with grant-making bodies and ensure compliance with grant requirements. Corporate Partnerships Manage and develop corporate partnerships and event sponsorships. Develop tailored proposals and pitches to attract corporate support. Team Leadership Lead, inspire, and manage a small fundraising team, fostering a culture of high performance and collaboration. Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities for team members for both fundraising and marketing. Monitoring and Reporting Track and report on fundraising performance against targets. Provide regular updates to the Senior Leadership Team. Qualifications and Experience Proven experience in a senior fundraising role. Proven experience working on fundraising events and event fundraising. Demonstrable success in developing and implementing successful fundraising strategies. Strong track record of securing major gifts, grant funding and/or corporate partnerships. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage and inspire a wide range of stakeholders. Experience in digital fundraising and leveraging social media platforms. Strong leadership and team management skills. Highly organised, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines. Optional / Ideal Responsibilities Marketing & Comms Developing Level Water’s marketing and communications strategy Leading strategy implementation and ensuring that we’re representing our Programmes work and impact work in the best possible way to our different groups of stakeholders. Digital Fundraising Leverage digital platforms, advertising and social media to enhance fundraising. Implement innovative online fundraising campaigns and initiatives. Event growth and innovation Understanding the mass participation event landscape and its opportunities, ideally within the swimming sector but other sports experience very welcome. Personal Attributes Passionate about the mission and values of Level Water. Strategic thinker with a results-oriented approach. Creative and innovative mindset. Resilient and adaptable, with a positive attitude. High level of integrity and commitment to ethical fundraising practices. Please send a CV and Cover Letter (which can be a 2-3 minute video) to lucy@#J-18808-Ljbffr

Created: 2025-07-27